April is Art Month!

At least, for me, it is. I've been doing a lot of artwork lately- none for show, really (save for a bunch of character commissions and gift art I posted up on my DeviantART- warning, nerd levels are high), but a lot of practice stuff. I've really started picking up on things that, in the past, I had a lot of trouble with. Like those little extra lines on the face that give it that extra little bit of realism, or a little refresher on human musculature. I've been trying to sort of ween myself off of Illustrator so much, working more and more with Photoshop and my Wacom Bamboo tablet. I've also started practicing on my shading, because that's something I have MASSIVE problems with. Like, you wouldn't even believe how naturally bad at shading I am. Especially the face, oiiiii. Because of that, I work almost exclusively in flat colors, and it leaves my work looking a little on the plain side.

I'm also working on getting back to my roots a bit, trying to get my hands on as many Hanna-Barbera cartoons as I can on DVD (which, so far, is none). I really wish I had cable or sattelite, I really only need six channels- Boomerang, Cartoon Network, Showtime, HBO, Comedy Central, and USA. Between those and a collection of DVDs and Blu-Rays, I'd be set. But for now, I make due with Hulu and YouTube. Barely. But lately I've been flashing back to shows like S.W.A.T. Katz, Captain Planet, Denver the Last Dinosaur, Yogi Bear, and all the other amazing Hanna-Barbera cartoons I grew up with. I just finished watching the first two seasons of Dexter's Laboratory (because, quite frankly, I cannot force myself to watch seasons 3 and 4, it's just awful), and I'm probably going to move on to Powerpuff Girls here soon.

Oh, speaking of retro toons- They've got Captain N: The Game Master on Hulu! That just blew my mind, I loved all the Nintendo shows on way back when- Legend of Zelda, Mario Bros., and Captain N were all huge favorites of mine when I was real, real young, so it's a massive dose of nostalgia for me. Check them out if you get the chance! Hulu really is a lifesaver for me :P

I have been in a little bit of a rut lately, though. The constant routine of my life is driving me crazy, and I spend so much of my time alone these days that I start to get a little on the emo side, unfortunately. My three closest friends right now aren't really available for hanging out most of the time- Caleb works two jobs, Sam lives in Manhattan, and Monica lives in Dallas. It's been a rough week, and a lot has been on my mind with very little relief. It's all very overwhelming.

Still, I'm doing my best to keep my head up. Sam has been great about putting up with my bitching and ranting, letting me vent when I need to just get it all out.

In the meantime, I haven't slept in 24 hours and can't sleep for at least another eleven, so I'm going to have to consume massive amounts of caffeine today. Tally-ho!